In a recent post, Anne Zelenka, writes about 10 things she hates about web 2.0. The article, and the buzz she started, are an incredible way to demonstrate the power of web 2.0. I even suspect Anne of having a twisted approach in writing this, stating that she hates web 2.0, but using it to attract more traffic.

Let’s start to talk a little about those 10 things she hates. I honestly confess that in the beginning I only wanted to talk about her opinion on GTD, but as I write, I had the urge of talking about all of the 10 points …

1. The phrase “user-generated content.” Has there ever been a more condescending or less descriptive phrase for human expression and creation and connection?

No. Never. This is why somebody had to invent it. And it works. Look at the comments in Anne’s blog. This is user-generated content.

2. The techmeme pile-on effect. Why does everyone have to write about the same stuff all at once? You all are smart people… let’s see some original ideas and topics. Of course, if you weren’t linked on techmeme, I’d have no idea what you’re writing about, because that’s where I get my news. D’oh!

Because they like it? Wow, that is surely something we have to dislike: the natural aggregation effect. In several parts of the world, this is still called tribal society. It’s digital, I agree, but we are still just a big tribe. Get used to it, or get out of the tribe.

3. The fiction that Web 2.0 doesn’t mean anything. People say no one knows what it means… and then they describe what it is.

Does anybody knows what the Relativity Theory is? Really is, I mean? I highly doubt that. But that hasn’t stopped people to talk about it for almost a century. Don’t confound the notoriety of a trend with the degree of the concept understanding.

4. Too many to do list applications. As a Web Worker Daily writer, of course I’m interested in to do lists and applications implementing them. But just because you can build one with whatever web framework you’re trying to learn doesn’t mean you should release it as a beta and expect me to write about it.

I remember in the early days of the web, there were tons of guest-books, bbs’s, counters and other simple things (the term “widget” wasn’t yet invented) that flooded the market. Five years later, they were gone. It’s a thing called natural evolution. Not everybody understand it, I agree, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exists.

5. Privileged old media types complaining when the rules change. Why should journalistic ethics apply to mombloggers trying to make a little income on the side? How can Dan Gillmor say with a straight face that bloggers described in this article are practicing something like journalism? Does he think the whole world measures themselves against what’s important to him and defines themselves in terms that he reifies?

Read above. Natural evolution. Yawn.

6. Too many web startups. Yawn. Boring.

Yes. So? There are already too many cars, too many food recipes, too many clothes. Why should be bothered by too many web startups?

7. The idea that we need MORE information than what’s already in web pages. That kind of reminds me of people who need a god (or God) outside themselves to feel like life is meaningful. The most anti-nihilistic way to live is to understand that life itself is meaningful enough without imagining or creating some external meaning. The web itself has enough meaning in it. We don’t have to impose it from outside.

This is too philosophical for me. I’ll take it for granted.

8. Getting Things Done. The productivity virus so many of us have been infected with in 2006 and 2007. Let’s move on. Getting lots of stuff done is not the way to achieve something important. You could be so busy planning next actions that you miss out on what your real contribution should be.

Yeah, GTD sucks. Maybe I should stop right here with this post. Getting it done is not a way to achieve something important.

9. Press releases. Okay, these are not really Web 2.0. But so many Web 2.0 Wannabes use them. Press releases suck. As Steve says, they’re mostly unreadable and of limited value. Have your developers write a blog post instead.

Okay, these are not really Web 2.0. But let’s hate them anyway. Let’s have a complete hate exercise, ok?

10. Grumpy cranky posts complaining about Web 2.0. Everyone gets a little grumpy and cranky sometimes, though.

And that should be self-explanatory.

Ok, ok, I was bitter. But this was not because of the web 2.0, believe me, but because I came from a culture that encourage debate to the point that merely anybody is doing something. It’s a latin country, and I had to really struggle with my environment sometimes to make things working. This is why I disagree with most of what’s in the Anne’s post.

After re-reading it, I am now sure that it’s in fact a web 2.0 favorable post, written upside down. Which leads me to my one thing that I love about web 2.0:

1. It stands even when it’s upside down.

[tags]web 2.0, blogging, gtd, techmeme, viral[/tags]